New initiative aims to promote education providers under one brand.

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The UK vocational education sector is aiming to raise its profile on the international stage with the launch of TVET UK.

TVET, or to give it its full name, Technical and Vocational Education and Training UK, is a new initiative which aims to promote the UK’s vocational training capability as a single brand, in order to compete more effectively with their global competitors. It has the backing of DIUS, the British Council and UKTI.

Speaking at the official launch reception in London last week, Bill Rammell, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education said: “Globalisation is an inevitable force of the times we are living in. Education benefits from a global aspect. Although we have the advantage of a flexible and innovative system in this country we need to keep improving in the face of globalisation. One of the strengths of the vocational education system in the UK is its diversity. The challenge of TVET will be to pull all that together and create a single point of contact for business, government and providers.”

Dominic Savage, chairman of the TVET UK Interim Strategy Council, also spoke of the purpose of TVET to unify individual bodies in order to attract overseas contract business. But he pointed out that there were two strands to TVET. In addition to the tendering opportunities for international contracts, the initiative has also been set up to help with international student recruitment.

He said: “Thousands of overseas students are already attracted to further and higher education in the UK and colleges and universities, along with the British Council, do a lot of work to promote the UK to overseas students. We hope to add to this.”

Mr Savage also pointed out that although this was the official launch, TVET had been operating for some time and he welcomed the Bulgarian delegation who were attending the reception.

The Association of Colleges, City & Guilds, Lifelong Learning UK, the Learning Skills Network and Standards Verification UK are among TVETs members.